Kentarō Kyōtani
is a second-year wing spiker from Aobajōsai High. Appearance Kyōtani is an easily identifiable character, particularly due to his short-cropped blond hair with two stripes running down the sides of his head, just above the ears. His eyes are sharp and appear fierce and hostile (he almost appears to be wearing eye-liner, or has dark bags beneath his eyes), and he has small eyebrows. He lives up to his nickname of "Mad Dog" (though this nickname was not necessarily made up by Oikawa to exemplify his fierce and brash personality). Personality He's said to have the best ability among the second years at Aobajōsai High, but his brash attitude is cause for poor relationships with other members of the volleyball team. He doesn't seem to show any respect for the third years (besides Iwaizumi), irritating them and shocking the first years upon Kentaro's return to the team. He is extremely strong, and he can only hit the ball with his full strength or he "doesn't feel satisfied." History Before high school, Kyōtani played volleyball at Minamisan Junior High (#4). In chapter 107, it is revealed that he has not played with the Aobajōsai team outside of a few practice matches due to his uncooperative attitude. Statistics According to the coach, Kyotani is a slow-starter who requires a lot of support to get going. He seems to do recklessly dangerous plays with no regard for game situation, such as knocking teammates over to spike the ball out of bounds with Karasuno at set point even though it wasn't tossed to him just to vent his frustration of not starting. By doing an approach run that's close to the net, he can do an insane inner spike that can cut across the blockers from a spot right beside them. He can also do a sideways jump from behind the setter to spike and surprise the opponent. He dislikes doing feints because he prefers to spike at full power. According to Coach Ukai, Kyoutani's plays are risky, so he's most likely a double-edged sword. His plays generally surprise his own teammates as well, and they are often enough to shake the unified dynamic of the team (this likely created some openings during Karasuno's second official game with Seijou while he was on the court). According to Oikawa, Kyōtani has real jumping power, and his back & abdominal muscles are exceptional. He amasses power with the full bend of his body and then snaps forward. Relationships Tōru Oikawa While Oikawa calls him "Mad Dog-chan," Kyōtani was instinctively wary of him, jumping back when Oikawa got close. Oikawa seems to appreciate Kyōtani's skill, and wants to make him a better player, saying to himself that he wishes to "sharpen his fangs." Despite this, Kyōtani does not listen or respond the same way to Oikawa that he does to Iwaizumi, much to the former's appall. Hajime Iwaizumi He's known to only listen to Iwaizumi's words and respond to his upperclassman, as he once challenged Iwaizumi to multiple athletic competitions and lost to him every time. When Kyōtani makes a dangerous move and Oikawa doesn't know what to do about it, Iwaizumi is the one who scolds him and actually hits him. Shigeru Yahaba Although they're in the same grade, Yahaba is extremely hostile and critical towards Kyōtani, more so than the rest of the players. At Kyōtani's return, the first thing Yahaba does is scold him. Even though he recognizes his talent, Yahaba doesn't seem to be intimidated by Kyōtani. In chapter 141, Yahaba slams him against a wall and lectures him about respecting their senpai and asks Kyōtani to lend them his strength. His words seem to affect Kyōtani, who after that seems to cool down a little and get his head in the game as an actual part of the team. Trivia * Current concern: Lawson's new "Kara Age Kun" is hard to throw away. ** The Kara Age Kun is a unique dish of fried chicken bits served by the Lawson franchise. To attract more clients, they use cute packages with mascots for carrying the food. *Favorite food: Hamima Chicken * The reason for his nickname given by Oikawa is because "kyōken" means mad dog, taken from Kyō''tani ''Ken''taro. However, the kanji is entirely different. * His star sign is Sagittarius. *'Nomenclature''' **Kentarō (賢太郎) - Intelligent Big Son **Kyōtani (京谷) - Capital City Valley Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Aobajōsai High Volleyball Club Category:Wing Spikers Category:2nd Year